by The Editors on October 15, 2008
Mark Sullivan, the founder of Snowboard Magazine has officially launched a new website for snowboarders called MTNOPS.com. Here’s what he says about it:
What Facebook does to link people with common friends, MTNOPS does to unite people of common interest. Users naturally connect based on where they are and what they want to do. What Google does for search, MTNOPS does for predictive search. It delivers the content users want without them asking for it. What Shopper.com does for people interested in buying technology, MTNOPS does for targeted goods and services. It brings the best deals in any product category directly to the consumer. . . .MTNOPS is a real community that is virtual, not a virtual community.
While this sounds like hyperbole, Sullivan and programmer JP Stoermer have created an interesting mix of social networking, blogging, content aggregation, and product recommendation centered around snowboarding. There are still a lot of glitches, many 404 dead-ends (it’s currently the third most popular page on the site), yet the base concept is solid and the interface perfectly minimal and forward.
It is obvious that a lot of thought went into MTNOPS and if Sullivan and crew can get ahead of the bugs it could become a necessary site for all snowboarders.
[Link: MNTOPS.com]
by The Editors on October 14, 2008
The Coca-Cola Co has just signed a deal with Intrawest to be the “official beverage” at 10 of their resorts.
Coca-Cola North America and its bottle partners in the United States and Canada will continue to be the official beverage providers at 10 of Vancouver, Canada-based Intrawest’s destination resorts: Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort (Florida); Snowshoe Mountain (West Virginia); Winter Park Resort, Copper Mountain and Steamboat Ski Resort (Colorado); Mountain Creek (New Jersey); Stratton Mountain (Vermont); Panorama Mountain and Whistler Blackcomb (British Columbia); and Mont Tremblant Resort (Quebec).
All we wanted was a Pepsi, just one Pepsi and they wouldn’t give it to us.
[Link: Phoenix Business Journal]
by The Editors on October 14, 2008
Rome and Consolidated roll out the limited edition Libertine Drunk with the following rant:
If you think the same logo that’s on that nut-hugger swim suit, golf ball, tennis skirt, jump rope, baseball bat and rollerblade might as well be on your next pair of snowboard boots, what will snowboarding look like in five or ten years? Will it be influenced in a way that’s true to our history? . . .The Libertine Drunk, a collab between the Rome SDS and Consolidated Skateboards, is a limited edition get-together of two brands who think sporting goods companies aren’t snowboard or skate companies.
We’re no fans of Nike either, but seriously? Can this be any more like slurping up someone else’s vomit?
[Link: Rome Snowboards via Shayboarder]
by The Editors on October 14, 2008
The Apple iTunes store is now sporting the latest film Forum Or Against’em from Forum Snowboards for about the cost of one premiere beer: $5.99.
Looks like it’s finally time for us to check it out in the privacy and comfort of our own home. Apple TV here we come.
[Link: Forum Snowboards]
by The Editors on October 14, 2008
According to the horror movie site Dread Central the Norwegian director Roar Uthaug’s snowboard slasher film Cold Prey may be released in North America on DVD soon. Here’s a bit of their review :
Five youngsters go up into the mountains for some snowboarding goodness. When one of their own is injured in a mishap, the group seeks shelter in an abandoned ski resort. Big mistake! As bad luck would have it, there’s serial killer on the loose and he’s determined to turn these unsuspecting kids into his next sport.
Sounds a lot like a “promotional trip” we went on once.
[Link: Dread Central]
by The Editors on October 10, 2008
One of the green tickers up in the right hand corner this afternoon was Volcom even though it took what the Orange County Business Journal called “a wild ride” today. They’re saying VeeCo closed this Friday up because of a report by an analyst who said:
Volcom is in a position of strength boasting a balance sheet with no debt, approximately $80 million in cash and clean inventory levels,” Gallacher wrote. “While orders are weak from a shrinking addressable market, Volcom is one brand that continues to gain market share.”
Then again, the only companies in the space to not finish up today were PacSun, Billabong, and Globe. So maybe it had more to do with the market than with what Caris & Co. analyst Claire Gallacher had to say about it.
[Link: Orange County Business Journal]
by The Editors on October 10, 2008
Wasserman Media Group is ramping up to launch another Sportnet.com site with Snowboarder.com. They apparently picked up former Future Snowboarding web editor James Sullivan and plan to open for business in the next couple weeks.
For a look at exactly what Wasserman is building click the Sportnet.com site and you’ll see that they are not fooling around in the online space. They’ve been busy lately building a pretty deep collection of online properties that are ripe for picking up online ad dollars in the future.
[Link: Snowboarder.com]
by The Editors on October 10, 2008
WizzardX.tv is a new “site” created by podcast host Wizzard Media under the direction of a guy named Skip Fredricks. Here’s how they describe this new action sports video site in their press release:
WizzardX host, Emily Dickinson, will bring the tightest shots, gnarliest crashes and sweetest moves to life each week as the channel grows to include over 20 of the top podcast shows in the action sports genre. This week, Emily promotes four anchor shows, Dirt, Street, Snow and Water featuring some of the top professionals in their respective sport.
Okay, correct us if we are wrong, but there aren’t even 10 action sports podcasts worth watching and yet, WizzardX is going to include over 20?
Watching Wizzard X is like walking into some shady action sports past. All the footage is old, the events irrelevant, and the shows mostly unwatchable. The site seems to follow the idea that by throwing enough crap out on the web someone will eventually watch it.
Our big question: who do they think they’re going to fool with this? Certainly not the kids.
[Link: Wizzzardx.tv via Marketwatch]
by The Editors on October 10, 2008
Falling stocks really aren’t news these days, but we still have fun looking at the charts like this one from Quiksilver’s last year. With it’s $2.79 price today Quik has hit its lowest stock price since 1998.
We hate to admit it, but even to us it’s beginning to look like a bargain.
[Link: Yahoo! Finance]
by The Editors on October 9, 2008
This afternoon at around 12:50 PM Zumiez stock broke through it’s previous 52-week low ($11.85 in July 08) to $11.55 and it appears the bottom has not been reached thanks to reports yesterday of a less than stellar September.
Interestingly, Zumiez’s number two competitor in the malls of America, The Buckle, was up $1.19 today to $49.14.
